Majority of US Companies to Implement AI by 2022

Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption is on the rise in the US, with 60 per cent of companies expecting to use AI or advanced automation by 2022.

Only 24 per cent of companies are using AI or advanced automation currently, meaning an additional 36 per cent plan to use it within three years — and half of those (18 per cent) within the next year alone.

The survey from Genesys looked to examine the attitudes of American employers about the rising adoption of AI in the workplace.

Of the 303 US employers surveyed, 57 per cent were enthusiastic about new workplace tech tools, and 32 per cent said AI enables companies to achieve goals faster, more effectively, and for less cost.

Another 25 per cent said they believe AI allows employees to become more productive, and feel more valuable.

Genesys chief marketing officer Merijn te Booij said the survey results proved that businesses win big when they deploy automation and AI-assisted technologies – and so do employees.

“Our research shows 61% of employers believe workers are more fulfilled when their workplace adopts AI because it allows them to take on more challenging tasks. When AI moves rote, mundane duties off employees’ plates, they have more time to focus on what they’re best at – work that’s more interesting, diverse and requires more complex problem-solving.”

However, 31 per cent of employers said they did not feel that AI was a practical solution for their type of business, and another 31 per cent said they believed AI would be too complex to implement.

Surprisingly, the majority (67 per cent) of employees said they were not afraid that AI or bots would steal their jobs in the coming decade.

In fact, the greatest concern for employees with AI and automation seems to be workplace safety. A 2019 survey from Volvo Construction Equipment found nearly half of all construction workers fear safety could be put at risk when AI and robots become common on job sites, while only three in 10 think the move toward automation will make construction safer (see related article).

So who is afraid of AI? Genesys findings reveal US workers in the Media and those with Assembly Line/Manufacturing jobs are most fearful that automation will take their jobs. Others most at risk include Data Entry and Retail/Checkout jobs.

Surprisingly, Transportation-related jobs, such as drivers, are considered by only 16 per cent of US survey respondents as among the most likely functions to be replaced by AI. This is despite the fact companies including Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Google, Audi, and Uber are all racing to develop automation technology that is likely to make truck drivers obsolete.